Improvement in feed mechanisms for cotton-openers



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Feed-Mechanism: for Cotton Openers, &c..

Patented Feb. 25,1873.

AM. FHO T0 -LITIIOGI:APIIIC ca. u1(oseon-z's FRocEss) rrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM NOTON, OF OLDHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO RICHARD KITSON, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

" HVIPROVEMENT'IN FEED-MECHANISMS FOR COTTON-OPENERS, &c.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. 136,173, dated February 25, 1873. V v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM NoToN, of Oldham, county of Lancaster, England, have invented certain Improvements in Machinery for Opening, Garding, and Scutching'Ootton and other fibrous substances, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates, first, to the construction of the plate or plates (between which and the feeding-rollers of machines for opening, scutching and carding the fleece of fibrous substances passes to the beater) of some suitable flexible material, and supporting said plate or plates by springs or a series of blocks weighted by a series of levers, as hereinafter described, through which they transmit motion to a single lever which is attached to the apparatus that traverses the strap along the conepulleys which drive the feed-rollers. The series of weighted blocks may also be applied to the feed-roller without the intervention of the flexible plate or plates,'and act upon the belt upon the cone-pulleys in the same manner. The object of this part of my invention is to vary the speed of the feed-roller in proportion to the thickness of the fleece passing beneath it, and thus compensate for its inequalities and cause it to be delivered to the beater or lickerin so as to be evenly opened or beat up, enabling the machine to thoroughly remove all dirt and foreign substances from it. Second, to placing a rigid cross-bar in front of the said series of blocks-which move up and down between this and another cross-bar behind them and between them and the beater, and causing the beater to beat or strike the fleece over the edge of this front cross-bar at some distance from the nip or point of contact of the feed-roller and weighted blocks or flexible plate, my object being to prevent the impact of the beater from affecting the weighted blocks and speed of the feed-roller, and also to prevent injury to the fiber, thus more effectually removing impurities from it.

v Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved feeding apparatus. Fig. 2 isa transverse section ofthe same. Figs. 3 and4 are two views of a modification thereof.

B is a part of the frame of a cotton-opener supporting the feed-roller b. b is a fluted feedin g-roller. c, is a flexible plate of steel or other suitable material, bet -ween which and the roller 1) the fibers pass. The feed-roller in revolving delivers the fibers to the action of a suitable beater or drum, S, of the opener or scutcher, or to the licker-in or other roller of the carding-engine. The plate 0 is fixed to the crossbeamd, between which and the beam d are placed the series of blocks f, bearing against the under side of the plate a. I have, in this instance, shown sixteen blocks, f,- but the number may be increased or diminished according to the width of the machine. Each pair of blocks f is pressed upon by a saddle or lever, f and these levers are acted upon by the saddles or levers f which are in like manner acted upon by the saddles or levers f both of which are united and pressed upon by the saddle or lever f The under side of the lever f is connected to and rests upon the lever e by the pin 0 The fulcrum of the lever e is the adjustable bracket 6 The outer extremity of the lever e is in communication with and operates the strap or belt on the cone-pulleys which drive the feed-roller, and traverses the strap on the cone-pulleys in the ordinary way.

When the machine is at work the fleece is struck by the beater over the edge of the beam 01 The irregularities in the thickness of the fleece passing between the roller b and the flexible plate 0, or the blocks f, when these are used without the plate, cause some ofthe blocks f, where the thicker parts of the fleece are passing through, to be depressed more than the others, and these move the levers f correspondingly down, which, in turn, depress the lever 6 through the saddles f f and f shifting the belt on the cone driving-pulleys and regulating the speed of the feed-roller to correspond with the average thickness of the fleece.

By this arrangement it is evident that the feed-roller will be made to deliver the fleece to the beater at greater or less speed in pro- .portion to its average thickness, which insures the perfect operation of the machine in cleansing it from dirt.

As the fibers are struck over the fixed bar d which is separate from the blocks f which hold the fleece to the roller and regulate its speed, the blocks are not, therefore, affected by the scutching or striking of the fibers by the beater.

In Figs. 3 and 4, b is the feed-roller, and c the flexible plate fixed to the cross-rail c, and to the under side of the plate 0 are fixed the eight or otherconvenient number of blocks f. These blocks may be united by saddles or 1evers as in Fig. 3, or each block may receive pressure independently of the others by weighted levers f which are hinged to the edge of the beam or cross-bar d.

In both Figs. 2 and 4 it will be seen that the nip or point of contact between the feed-roller b and the plate ads at some distance from the edge over which the fibers are struck by the beater, and the fixings of the roller 12 are to be so connected that the roller can be adjusted nearer to or further from the edge of the bar or beam over which the fleece is struck by the beater, according to the length of the staple, thereby preventing injury to the staple and more effectually removing impurities from the fiber.

In some cases springs may be used to act on the flexible plate instead of the weighted blocks f.

I'am aware that a divided plate with a hollow or concave surface placed against the feedroller and having its sections supported by levers or springs has been heretofore used in the feeding mechanism of cotton-openers and I do not claim such a device.

What I claim as new and my invention is- 1. The series of blocks f and saddles f f f f, &c for regulating the speed of the feedroller to the average thickness of the fleece passing beneath it, substantially as described.

2. The flexible flat plate 0 or blocksf, in combination with the feed-roller, substantially as described.

3. The fixed bar al over which the fibers are struck by the beater, in combination with the automatically-adjustable holder which presses the fleece to the feed-roller, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the fixed bar 01 feedroller 12, weighted blocks f f, and saddles f f f j, &c., substantially as described.

WILLIAM NOTON.

Witnesses:

JOHN MORTON, JOHN E. MILNE. 

